Are you a curmudgeon?

[Former Member]

After watching the movie " A River Runs Through It" and hearing Brad Pitt talk about someone as being an old curmudgeon. I realized that I might be one as well. I had to look up what it meant, but the shoe seems to fit.

As I get older, I seem to have only 2 modes, sleeping and grouchy. Since I only sleep a few hours a night that leaves the remainder of my time as grouchy.

When I was younger, I couldn't have been happier. Happy-go-lucky, care free and living the good life. As I get older, much of the euphoria I had experienced in my youth has dimmed, and given way to more cynicism and skepticism.

I guess one advantage of old age is increased wisdom, but it doesn't come without experience and hard learned lessons.

One of my best friends definitely falls into the curmudgeon category, constantly complaining about his health, the neighbors and the cold.

Do you find it hard not to become a grumpy old man?

 

[old man mavic]

After watching the movie " A River Runs Through It" and hearing Brad Pitt talk about someone as being an old curmudgeon. I realized that I might be one as well. I had to look up what it meant, but the shoe seems to fit.

As I get older, I seem to have only 2 modes, sleeping and grouchy. Since I only sleep a few hours a night that leaves the remainder of my time as grouchy.

When I was younger, I couldn't have been happier. Happy-go-lucky, care free and living the good life. As I get older, much of the euphoria I had experienced in my youth has dimmed, and given way to more cynicism and skepticism.

I guess one advantage of old age is increased wisdom, but it doesn't come without experience and hard learned lessons.

One of my best friends definitely falls into the curmudgeon category, constantly complaining about his health, the neighbors and the cold.

Do you find it hard not to become a grumpy old man?

i think we are all a bit guilty of having a moan sometimes,maybe its because we have got life experience and knowledge,and find it hard to suffer fools,its easy to forget that we were young once,and we made the same mistakes ,my recent health scare,has made me take stock of my life and make adjustments,to my lifestyle,and i hope that i dont become a grumpy old man mavic.

 

[Former Member]

i think we are all a bit guilty of having a moan sometimes,maybe its because we have got life experience and knowledge,and find it hard to suffer fools,its easy to forget that we were young once,and we made the same mistakes ,my recent health scare,has made me take stock of my life and make adjustments,to my lifestyle,and i hope that i dont become a grumpy old man mavic.

I hope you don't become a grumpy old man mavic. Then you would have to change username and start all over.

 

[Idrach]

I am well paid to be a professional cynic, curmudgeon and pessimist. I am also an ageing bloke.

 

[Former Member]

I am well paid to be a professional cynic, curmudgeon and pessimist. I am also an ageing bloke.

Does your employer need any help? I might fit right in.

 

[Idrach]

Yes, but Edinburgh is a long way from Duluth

 

[Former Member]

Yes, but Edinburgh is a long way from Duluth

Would it be possible for me to work from home? Im just as grumpy here as I am at the workplace. And my phone demeanor is also quite hostile.

 

[Idrach]

I can manage one day a week, usually, but not much more. I'm supposed to be off this week but I still have meetings all afternoon.

 

[Kneebeard]

This is so funny...! A good friend from my high school days and I talk regularly by phone. Once upon a time the topics were cute girls, where the party's were, and if the weather let us get back to outdoor activities. These days our conversations center around minor aches, pains & health issues and what's on sale this week at the local grocery chain. It's been said "Growing old is not for the faint of heart" but it sure beats the alternative...! Time for my morning walk.

 

[FormerMember07122019_2]

I may be old, but I refuse to grow up. I still enjoy some of the hobbies from my youth, albeit, at a much slower pace, taking less risk, complaining more, taking more breaks, falling down more, ....... oh wait, I guess I am getting old.

 

[mikemoose55]

I wrote this some time ago and it just seems to fit in here ...
if you are completely bored read on.....
mikemoose55


Does my AMA number speak curmudgeon ?

Back in the very early 70's I became a member of a local RC club and thus a member of the AMA.
I was a energetic involved and passionate member of the RC community.
As is the case with many of us time and life often take us away from things we like to do for the things we must do on our journey forward and the hobby and the fun drifted from my focus.

After many years dormant I am once again returning to an active role in my club and the joy of RC. It struck me in this renewal interest that the AMA is reminding me that I have somehow become old and possibly outdated without notice.

OK I will explain, back then when bell bottoms and disco were all the rage I received my shinny and new AMA membership & number. I recall being asked back then to often show proof of AMA membership via display of my license number. I was happy to display my proof of membership as AMA number 28286.

The old curmudgeons frozen in that block of time chuckled and said what a high number referring to my juvenile five digit AMA member number. Along with that was added boisterous chest thumping and the proclamation " I have been in the AMA since dirt was new and my AMA number is only 3 digits.
Well this I guess was a indicator of hierarchy and a message to me that there were some “dues” to pay before I was going to be accepted, let alone marginally respected.
Apparently my five digit number was the evidence of my infantile status in the hobby.

To further establish the pecking order, (as apparently my 5 digit number was not enough) I would hear statements like .....” well I joined way back before the super heterodyne sets came out, back when we used rubber bands to run the actuator on my old single channel Galloping Ghost pulse system. We covered our planes with tissue and dope and mixed our own fuel.......”

Wow, reality as unforgiving as gravity, these guys were brutal and changing my whole perception of the wonderful worlds of R/C.

Back then I thought these guys were really old and crusty and there is no way I could ever get that way . These guys were AMA numbers so long ago they actually owned one of those old clicker type single channel radios I have only seen in old magazines.

Fast forward 45 some years and my AMA number is in it's own way has become older than dirt. This made me wonder what other reversals come associated with this sour dose of reality and a 5 digit AMA number. Does my 5 digit AMA number now scream my curmudgeon status?

Sorely facing reality I have to come to grips that I am that old guy I once laughed up my sleeve at.
In my own time this RC hobby has marched forward and I have become time stamped by my 5 digit AMA number.
Things sure have changed, scratch building has become the single channel radio of the new century. Can anyone find me a 30 something that has actually "scratched" anything other than a lottery ticket.

Back then battery technology evolved around an expanded scale volt meter and the effort to avoid nicad memory.
When four channel radios cost over $350.00 in early 1970 dollars and replacement servos were $50.00 each. If if you had one of those new fangled radios that weighed less than a brick you were pretty much state of the art. How many of us are left that even remember that you had to pull the potentiometer out of a servo and exchange the two colored wires to get the servo to rotate in the opposite direction?

Dual rates were the trend late 80's and early 90's then came gold sticker receivers and FM signals and a whole bunch more frequencies we could fly on.
We looked up to icons of the hobby like Hal “Pappy” DeBolt, Lew Andrews, Phil Kraft and jockeyed with our club mates to be the next in line for the frequency pin.

Today it is all about watts and Li-Poly power, fuel proofing what the heck is that?
Drones are defying gravity while recording pictures and videos we used to struggle to capture with a Kodak Disc camera and an extra servo to trip the shutter. And frequency pins ...we don’t need no stinkin’ frequency pins.

I could go on and on but for those who can dust off their 5 digit AMA number the reality may simply be too much to handle.

As those memories fade like curl of smoke from CA glue I am left with the reality that a five digit AMA number and CA glue can deliver the same toxic reality.

The road to here was long and a bunch of fun. Looking back unfortunately is limited to just a few of us who still have the rear view mirrors. I really feel quite fortunate to actually own a mirror I can look back into and enjoy those memories.

For those of you whippersnappers with those new fangled 6 digit AMA numbers all I can say is you missed some golden years.
There will never again be another Woodstock, a single channel pulse radio, or a waiting line for a frequency pin. Fear not however as this great hobby that boldly marches on today in you new fangled digital world hands. Us “5 digiters” have got your back and have thouroughly enjoyed the road we paved to here.

I dedicate these wonderful memories to some of my great and dearly missed five digit friends Bob, Tom , Doug, Billy & Harry. Hope to see you guys again one day over the horizon.

 

[Thomas B]

Like Robert Redford said in The Electric Horseman, “Some parts just wake up after others.” Starting to be my mantra.

 

[Mossiback]

When I find myself getting grouchy because of the daily crud, I stop and tell myself that it could always be worse. Unless I am on fire that does the trick.

Learn from the past but don't let it ruin the future or the present.

 

[Former Member]

This is so funny...! A good friend from my high school days and I talk regularly by phone. Once upon a time the topics were cute girls, where the party's were, and if the weather let us get back to outdoor activities. These days our conversations center around minor aches, pains & health issues and what's on sale this week at the local grocery chain. It's been said "Growing old is not for the faint of heart" but it sure beats the alternative...! Time for my morning walk.

I agree 100%, Growing old is better than the alternative.

 

[Trollistika]

This is fascinating. I have always known about older people being moody. And always wonder how will I end up. We know once the hormonal level drop, it does effect ones personality.. We become a new person. We ache and complain more often. I'm still rather young but can relate to the older crowd more than my peers. Most of my friends are all about girls and drinking with drugs. I'm more secluded and private honestly and avoid alcohol and drugs altogether since it only makes me puke. The girls... They come and go but that's a whole other topic. I guess we can have 1 common factor... The love of freedom flight gives us, then age is nothing.

 

[Former Member]

This is fascinating. I have always known about older people being moody. And always wonder how will I end up. We know once the hormonal level drop and it does effect ones personality.. We beef a new person. We ache and complain more often. I'm still rather young but can relate to the older crowd more than my peers. Most of my friends are all about girls and drinking with drugs. I'm more secluded and private honestly and avoid alcohol and drugs altogether since it only makes me puke. The girls... They come and go but that's a whole other topic. I guess we can have 1 common factor... The love of freedom flight gives us, then age is nothing.

Let me know when the testosterone level is supposed to drop. Early 60's and no drop in sight, but not chasing girls any more. They let me catch them since Im too old to run.

 

[Trollistika]

Let me know when the testosterone level is supposed to drop. Early 60's and no drop in sight, but not chasing girls any more. They let me catch them since Im too old to run.

Ok... Here's a true story. I have a friend that's in the health care system. She is a care taker at a elderly home. On average, everyone is over 80. And she tells me one of the biggest problems they have is the elderly contracting STD's. She says that at night... They walk over to each other's rooms and do it.

Hahaha... True story.

 

[Kneebeard]

This sprang to mind...! LOL!

"Old Folks Boogie" by Little Feat back in the 70's...
...Gives us jus' one more chance
To spin one more yarn
And you know that you're over the hill
When your mind makes a promise that your body can't fill
Doin' the old folks boogie ..."

 

[Ragwing120]

At 70 my wife sure thinks I am. Glad to hear there's others out there like me.

 

[charliesRig]

"Here your Sign"
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